This invention relates generally to visual displays, and, more particularly to a programmable light display system which can be used with a variety of available maps and charts.
The use of display systems, particularly large board display systems for providing visual indication of various situations and conditions, is increasing significantly in both military and non-military applications. Such display systems, when combined with control systems such as data processing systems, are suitable for communication network displays, production or processing control systems, air, ground or sea traffic control, etc.
The board display systems currently available include electroluminescent display panels with high density multicolored back lighted systems using magnetically operated shutters and flat sandwich gas discharge panels. Such display systems tend to be complex, fixed or inflexible and extremely expensive. For example, in the gas discharge panel a 10 inches square display may utilize 10,000 tiny neon gas cells, with every cell requiring an individual switching circuit. In addition, such display systems of the past fail to accommodate a wide variety of map scales or proportions and limit the positioning of lights to increments of grid spacing. Furthermore, in many instances it was necessary to use transparent or translucent charts or maps as overlays on the lighting matrix. Such high initial cost and continuing cost of overlay maps and charts rapidly led to the discontinued use of such board display systems.